While Saudi Arabia’s classification in cybersecurity jumped to second place globally, the Kingdom has accomplished one of its initiatives in empowering women adopted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the first edition of the Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF).
Women’s participation in the cybersecurity sector has increased from 7% to 33%.
Riyadh Governor Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz had announced at the GCF’s first edition that the Crown Prince had adopted two international initiatives to “protect children in cyberspace” and “empower women in cybersecurity.”
Speakers at the second edition of the GCF focused on the importance of protecting the energy sector from cyber attacks as it is one of the most vulnerable sectors.
At the same time, they called on involving governments in collective work to confront cybersecurity threats and hackers.
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz affirmed that the cybersecurity team in his ministry “comprises Saudi women with minds full of science and creativity.”
The minister noted that the Kingdom is “recovering very quickly from attacks, and it must be proactive in repelling cyber threats in the next stage.”
Prince Abdulaziz pointed to the “energy sector being one of the most vulnerable sectors to cyber attacks.”
He predicted that more attempts to influence and harm the sector will be made but reaffirmed that Saudi Arabia has high capabilities to confront the threat. The whole world should benefit from the Kingdom’s capabilities, the minister added.
Prince Abdulaziz also stressed the importance of “governments sharing knowledge, information and capacity development to collectively address cyber attacks.”
He noted that the world has united in the past period against the coronavirus pandemic, and that it must now do the same for cybersecurity threats.
The 2022 GCF, founded by Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Authority, opened with a welcome address from Prince Faisal bin Bandar, Governor of Riyadh Province, who called for global collaboration to counter threats.
Under the event theme, Rethinking the Global Cyber Order, the forum covers the full spectrum of issues including, resilience in the energy supply chain, child protection online, countering cyber conflict, women in cybersecurity, and tackling cybercrime, with perspectives sought from government, private sector, NGOs, policy makers and industry specialists.
The event is hosting over 4,500 attendees from over 100 countries and convenes more than 120 speakers to discuss day-to-day cyber issues.
